Previous posts​

​'There's no poetry in railways'

​Railways, especially in the age of steam, have always exerted a powerful hold on the imagination of many, and the extent to which the railways featured in the the poems of Norman Nicholson will be discussed when we hold our Summer Event in Millom this Saturday (July 8th).The rail system around Millom was once much greater than it is today. The ironworks, and the mines at Hodbarrow, required substantial servicing by rail and inevitably the poetry of Nicholson, who lived close to the station, was influenced by the sights and sounds of the railways. Nearly all the old tracks have now disappeared but the memories live on, notably in poems like ‘Hodbarrow Flooded’, in which Nicholson recalls that ‘bogies bounded along hummocking tracks’ before the mines closed and sea inundated the land.Saturday’s event starts at 11am at Millom Discovery Centre LA18 5AA where members will hear a presentation by Marshall Mossop, followed by a walk along the path of the former tracks which linked from the main line to the ironworks. There will also be a chance to look around the Discovery Centre which includes a room dedicated to Norman Nicholson. Lunch is not provided but members can bring their own, or buy lunch at the Trackside Cafe (tel 01229 208398) which is part of the Discovery Centre complex. In the afternoon members will split into discussion groups, with the event ending around 4pm. Cost is £5. Non-members are welcome to join the Society on the day; annual subscription is £12, or £18 for couples and £6 youth.

​posted 3/7/17

​30 years since Nicholson's passing: a special event in Millom

Please join us at a special event to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Norman Nicholson. An afternoon of readings, music and conversations on the theme of Mortality and Immortality will be held at St George's Church, Millom, on Saturday June 3rd, 2pm to 4pm. Our special guest will be Christine Boyce, designer of the spectacular Nicholson Memorial Window within the church, and others who have confirmed attendance include poets Phil Houghton and Canon Dr David Scott. Refreshments will be available. Full details on our Events page.

​Norman passed away on May 30th 1987, aged 73. His funeral took place in St George’s on Friday, June 5th.

​posted 17/5/17

Remembering and celebrating

Details have been announced of a special event to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Norman Nicholson. An afternoon of readings, music and conversations on the theme of Mortality and Immortality will be held at St George's Church, Millom, on Saturday June 3rd, 2pm to 4pm. Our special guest will be Christine Boyce, designer of the spectacular Nicholson Memorial Window within the church. Full details on our Events page.

​Norman passed away on May 30th 1987, aged 73. His funeral took place in St George’s on Friday, June 5th.

posted 20/4/17

​Nicholson and Italy - and our AGM

Dr Antoinette Fawcett is to give a presentation about Norman Nicholson and Italy on Saturday April 1st in Millom, at an event which will also include the Society's AGM. If you thought that Nicholson was purely a parochial poet, this talk may cause you to think again. Antoinette has devoted a lot of time to researching the way Nicholson has been translated, and perceived, in non-English-speaking cultures and her talk will draw on fascinating and unexpected material she has unearthed from the John Rylands Library Manchester and the Whitehaven Archive.

​Welcome, Brian!

​The Society is very pleased to welcome Brian Charnley to the committee. Brian has been teaching English for over 45 years, both in the UK and abroad. He has spread the delights of our language and literature to students as far afield as Malta, Cayman Islands, Cairo, the Yemen, Spain and Gran Canaria. He has also taught drama, media studies and PE. He is a welcome addition to the Norman Nicholson Society committee.

posted 10/2/17

​My family and other minerals

​Three generations bound together by an industry that in those days could look like the fires of hell had been let loose - NN Society member Dr Brian Metters reflects on the influence on his family of Millom and Hodbarrow on his blog The Two Doctors HERE. Brian's post also includes details of his own work at the Ironworks as an analytical chemist with the research project into Spray Steelmaking that should have saved the plant from total closure in 1968/69.

posted 9/2/17

'A nuclear poem from Norman Nicholson'

​The approaching 30th anniversary of Nicholson's death has prompted NN Society member Dr Brian Metters to revisit one of Norman's most famous poems Windscale on his blog. Brian, born in Haverigg, is founder of the charity Nepal Schools Aid. As the blogpost reveals, he has his own memories of the 1957 nuclear leak. Check it out here.

posted 27/1/17, edited 7/2/17

​The lonnins of memory

​‘The lonnins’ was a favourite haunt of courting couples, blackberry-pickers, and children, myself included - a response to Kathleen Morris' 'Word of the Month' HERE.

posted 4/2/17

​Word of the Month: Lonning

NN may not have used the word very often in his poetry, but when he does use it, it is in an affectionate and unselfconscious manner. Kathleen Morris explores Nicholson's use of the word 'Lonning' and explains its meaning here.

posted 21/1/17

Millom Christmas Tree Festival 2016

​The Society's theme for the Christmas Tree Festival this year is 'Carol for the Watchers’, one of the ballads and carols from Norman Nicholson’s play, ‘No Star on the Way Back’, commissioned by Border Television and performed at Christmas 1963, with music by Thea Musgrave. It tells the story of the Three Wise Men who follow the star, their ears

‘…alert for a sign,At the clink of a bell or the twitch of a lineOr the voice of an angel…’to lead them to Bethlehem.‘Carol for the Watchers,’ the last carol in the play, takes us from the ‘first night’ of Christ’s birth, to the last night in ’umpteen hundred and eternity’, transforming to a glorious Christmas morning when ‘the Sun will rise and so may we’.Our tree has again been decorated by Peggy Troll, Sue Dawson and Dorothy Richardson, who have divided the tree into ‘time’ layers, each distinguished by a colour: red, blue, purple or gold, and a line from the poem linked to one of the Wise Men.

The first and second layers at the base show Mary with the baby Jesus, linked by a red voile scarf to a Wise Man richly dressed in red:

‘The Wise Men found the Child and knewTheir search had just begun…’The third layer is sombre, showing the Cross draped in blue by the Wise Man:

‘A dead man hung in the Child’s lightAnd the sun went down at noon…’The fourth layer, with its purple scarf and Wise Man, and blank white masks facing each other over a globe of the now ‘empty’ world, gives way to the fifth layer at the top of the tree, bursting into the gold and glitter of a multi-faceted sun and star combined which, when caught in the light, appears to be on fire:

‘…And the Sun will rise and so may we,On the last Morn, on Christmas Morn,Umpteen hundred and eternity.’We didn’t have a transcript so don’t know whether the Watchers of the title are identified in the play: are they the shepherds, Herod, the Wise Men, the audience? Perhaps… we are all Watchers ?The usual venue for the Christmas Tree Festival, St George's Church, is not available this year because of work on the heating system. Instead, many trees are on display in Millom’s shop windows. The Norman Nicholson Society’s tree, along with some others, is in Holy Trinity Churchwhich is situated beside Millom Castle on the A5093, just north of Millom, postcode LA18 5EY

TREES AT TRINITY starts on 14th December and is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 3pm.Refreshments are available.

Peggy Troll​​

Pictures by SUE DAWSON

​posted 13/12/16

​Society appoints three Vice-Presidents

The Norman Nicholson Sociey is delighted to mark its 10th anniversary by awarding the title of Honorary Life Vice-President to three of our members who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of Nicholson's work, and to the progress of the Society. They are:Neil Curry, especially for his work as editor of Norman Nicholson: Collected Poems (Faber & Faber)David Boyd, especially for his critical biography Norman Nicholson: A Literary Life (Seascale Press)Kathleen Jones, especially for her biography of Nicholson The Whispering Poet (The Book Mill)

Certificates to mark the creation of the Vice-President positions were presented at the Society's Christmas lunch at Grange-over-Sands on Saturday December 3rd. Report and more pictures on our Events page. ​​

​To George....

​NN Society member David Boyd is the owner of a copy of Nicholson's final volume of poetry (1981) Sea to the West which was given to him by the literary executor of Nicholson's lifelong friend and mentor George Every. David wonders if the rather touching inscription might be of interest to members. The book contains a dedication in the text to his wife, Yvonne 'in love and gratitude for twenty-five silver years, 1956-1981'. David says: "Poignantly, Norman was able to present it to her just before she died from cancer, and a copy of the book was buried with her in the grave in Millom churchyard to which Norman himself went on his own death six years later, in 1987".

​​posted 24/11/16

​Nicholson timeline

​Haverigg School project

​The children in Year Two at Haverigg Primary School used Norman Nicholson’s poem Hodbarrow Flooded as the stimulus for their summer term project, 2016. This included not only local history but literacy, art and developing speaking and listening skills, which they achieved through asking questions of their families for more information about how Millom and Haverigg used to be when the mines and ironworks were both still open in the 1960’s.

Find out more about this incredibly valuable project on Our Page! HERE.

posted 19/10/16

​Neil to speak at Whitehaven

​Neil Curry is to speak about the poetry of Norman Nicholson and his own poetry at the Beacon in Whitehaven this Wednesday, as part of the Elements festival. It's from 7pm to 8pm, free admission. And on October 24th the Elements Festival comes to Millom with an evening of readings from the work of contemporary local writers. This event is at the Bradbury Centre, St George's Road, LA18 4JE, 7pm-8pm, free admission.

posted 17/10/16

​Behind the walls of a literary landmark

​A literary weekend at Cockley Moor: photographic essay by JOHN TROLL can be viewed on the Events page

posted 17/10/16

'Lovely to be there'

​Grevel Lindop has blogged about the weekend at Cockley Moor. Grevel writes: "It was lovely to be there with almost thirty lively, knowledgeable poetry enthusiasts to discuss Nicholson and the artistic heritage of Cockley Moor". The blog is here: http://grevel.co.uk

posted 14/10/16

​Discussing Nicholson at Cockley Moor

​Poets Grevel Lindop and Phil Houghton led the impressive line-up of speakers at our wonderful study weekend at Cockley Moor, over the weekend of October 8th/9th. Thanks to our speakers and all who attended, and special thanks to the current owner of Cockley Moor, Hilary Rock. Report and more pictures on the Events page.

posted 13/10/16

National Poetry Day

​Autumnal tide,Mauve as Michaelmas daisies, bideOur while and summer's. Let the viscous sunPercolate the turf. Let small becks runYellow for ever with shine, and the floor of this momentHold back time and shut the gate.Wait, tide, wait.

- from 'September on the Mosses' by Norman Nicholson, published in 'A Local Habitation' (1972)

​posted 6/10/16

More than 'Seven Rocks'

​Professor Brian Whalley, a member of the NN Society, gave a talk at an event organised by the Royal Geographical Society at Brantwood, Coniston, on Thursday (September 29th). Brian spoke about the role played by geology in Nicholson's poems, but did not restrict himself to that sole aspect of Nicholson's work, ranging over a number of significant topics. The talk, introduced by Tim Foster of the Blencathra Centre, was warmly received by an audience which included several members of the NN Society.

posted 2/10/16

​'Sea to the West' - a musical interpretation

A CD inspired by Norman Nicholson's poem Sea to the West ​is to be released next month. The disc is the inspiration of London-based composer Christopher Fox who has a lifelong affection for Nicholson's writings. Sea to the West is the title of both the CD and the opening track, in which Christopher says he has 'fused Nicholson's memories with my own, memories of my father and of long-ago family holiday excursions to the Cumbrian coast.' ​​​The composition is sung by the Irish soprano Elizabeth Hilliard and was originally performed in Dublin in 2014.

​Welcome!

​Traffic to our website trebled following Melvyn Bragg's quoting of Nicholson's poem 'Cornthwaite' on Radio 4.

posted 10/9/16

​Of tveit and dal and fjell

​Good to hear Melvyn Bragg highlight Nicholson's poem Cornthwaite in part 3 of his current series on BBC Radio 4, The Matter of the North.The programme explored Viking influences on the north and the poem was quoted to demonstrate the multiplicity of Norse place-names in Cumbria:

"Of tveit and dal and fjell,He scratched those words on the rocks,Naming the Cymric cwms in a Norse tongue."

posted 4/9/16

​First sight of 'new' Nicholson poem

The new edition of Comet includes the very exciting discovery of an unpublished poem by Norman Nicholson, which is printed in full. Women's Picnic at the Standing Stones has been unearthed by Mary Robinson in the course of researching an article about Nicholson's links with Jacquetta Hawkes, the archaeologist, ornithologist and writer (1910-1996). The poem does not appear in Nicholson's Collected Poems and so far as we are aware has not appeared anywhere outside Nicholson's private correspondence with Hawkes in 1951. It has come to light as a result of Mary Robinson's examining the Hawkes archive at the JB Priestley Library at the University of Bradford. ​​The latest Comet, edited as usual by Antoinette Fawcett, contains a rich variety of content including contributions from Peggy Troll, David Boyd​, Chris Pilling and Christopher Donaldson. Elissa Robinson reflects on the writers' workshop which the Society organised in May, Antoinette herself reports on our AGM and our Summer Event at Haverigg, the Member Profile is with the poet and writer John Killick, and Kathleen Morris reveals her professional connection with Norman Nicholson - as a telegram deliverer! Plenty more as well. Comet is mailed out free to members.

posted 28/8/16

​'Forcing the mind to think the impossible'

​Norman Nicholson was 'the only major modern writer of the English Atlantic edge' - but why does he refuse to look outward from that edge? And in which direction does he look instead? Interesting and challenging lecture by Professor Andrew Gibson of Royal Holloway, University of London, can be heard on a podcast from University College Dublin HERE. A transcript is also available to download. The lecture was originally recorded in Spring 2013.

posted 22/8/16

Melvyn of the North

The Society's president, Melvyn Bragg, is to present a 10-part series on Radio 4, The Matter of the North, starting on Monday August 29th at 9am and running at the same time each morning for the rest of that week and the next (Mon-Fri). More details HERE.

posted 19/8/16

​NN is back on Big City Lit

The online New York literary magazine Big City Lit recently refreshed its online archives, meaning that David Boyd's introduction to the poems of Norman Nicholson "Verse Rooted Like a Tree", the Cumbrian Poetry of Norman Nicholson, is available to access once more. David says: "Although eight years out of date (note the old Calder Hall cooling tower photo!) and fairly savagely edited, it's I think a reasonable intro to NN for those from other lands especially". Find it HERE

​​posted 8/8/16

​Haverigg: reflections and images

Report and pictures from our Summer Event at Haverigg are on our Events page HERE

posed 7/7/16

​International stage for Neil Curry

Neil Curry, one of the Society's founder members and the editor of Norman Nicholson's Collected Poems, is to appear at the International Poetry Festival in Genoa, Italy, this week. Neil's participation in the event at the Palazzo Ducale on Tuesday is well-deserved international recognition for his wide-ranging output which includes a critique of William Cowper's work, published last year.

posted 12/6/16

A Royal celebration

​Pictures of the Society's display at a special event to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen at St George's Church yesterday. The display included images of the Queen's Medal for Poetry which was awarded to Norman Nicholson in 1977, and a selection of wild flowers which reflect local links to Nicholson.

​pictures by SUE DAWSON​posted 12/6/16

The Queen's Medal for Poetry

As part of Millom's celebration of Her Majesty's 90th birthday on Saturday June 11th, Peggy Troll will give a talk about the Queen's Medal for Poetry which was awarded to Norman Nicholson in 1977 - the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. This will part of an afternoon of celebrations at St George's Church, Millom, starting at 2pm.

posted 9/6/16​​

Cheers!

​The Society's former chair Dr Ian Davidson celebrates after being presented with an engraved whisky glass as a token of appreciation for his hard work. Illness prevented Ian from receiving the award at our AGM in April. Committee members Peggy Troll, Sue Dawson and Dot Richardson had the pleasant task of making the presentation.

​pictures by JOHN TROLL​posted 1/6/16

'A great poem by Norman Nicholson'

​NN Society member Mike Alldred writes: As a keen walker I am a member of the Ramblers Association. In the Summer edition of the RA magazine, "Walk", there is an interview with broadcaster & writer Stuart Maconie. In addition to references to Walt Whitman (positive) & Wordsworth (less so) he also mentions "a great poem by Norman Nicholson, in which he writes about washing up in his kitchen and seeing Scafell Pike as he looks out of the window....". He goes on to describe what Nicholson fans will recognise as the poem "Scafell Pike".

It's encouraging to discover references to Nicholson, such as this, which might result in more people choosing to seek out his writing. And, who knows, maybe seek out the Norman Nicholson Society.

posted 29/5/16

Nicholson exhibition updated

​The exhibition dedicated to Norman Nicholson at Millom Discovery Centre has been refreshed and updated, and moved to a different location. This is the result of a wider reorganisation within the Centre. The move has involved a lot of work by NN Society committee members and helpers, taking down everything on display in the old room and then re-hanging and displaying all the items in the new room. There isn’t room for everything to be on display at once so the items in the room will be refreshed from time to time.Millom Discovery Centre admission charge is valid for one year so once paid people can visit as many times as they like during the following 12 months.

There is a selection of NN books available for sale at the Discovery Centre.

Antoinette's work shortlisted

Editor of 'Comet' Dr Antoinette Fawcett has been invited to speak at a prestigious literary event in London on Thursday (June 9th). Antoinette's sample translation from Kristien Dieltiens' book Kelderkind [Cellar Child] has been selected as one of six shortlisted translations to be presented to a live audience and a jury of publishing experts. The event is open to all and Antoinette says: "If any of you could be at the event to support me, it would be fantastic!"

Writing workshop a great success

​The life-writing workshop led by Kathleen Jones on Saturday, 14th May 2016, was a great success. The event, which explored connections between our Selves and our Environment, was a joint collaboration between the Norman Nicholson Society and Kendal Library. It was called ‘A Local Habitation’, not only as a reference to Nicholson’s 1972 collection of the same name, but also in honour of Shakespeare, whose 400th anniversary we are celebrating this year.

The three hours passed very quickly, but there was time for participants to produce two pieces of writing and to share these with the group. Kathleen set Nicholson’s work within the context of current thinking about home, exile and story-telling, linking these themes to contemporary eco-writing, both creative and critical. We were also encouraged to think about memory and truth, childhood and trauma – sources both of pain and inspiration for poets and writers. ​As well as reading and thinking about Nicholson’s poem ‘The Elm Decline’ (Collected Poems p. 283), we considered Heaney’s ‘The Barn’ and Riemke Ensing’s ‘Fictions’. At the end of the workshop we came away not only with our own two pieces of writing – the basis perhaps of further work – but full of the kinds of thoughts and feelings which mean you’ve been provoked in the right way. Antoinette Fawcett

posted 16/5/16

Vocal Landscapes

​Dr David Cooper is a leading participant in an event examining the role of language within experiences of place. Vocal Landscapes: Bodies, Language and Place is 6pm-8pm on Wednesday June 1st at Number 70, Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5NH (it's the building formerly known as the Cornerhouse, very close to Oxford Road rail station). The evening is organised by In Certain Places, a project based at the University of Central Lancashire. Admission free. More information here.

posted 19/5/16

​'A highly knowledgeable exploration'

​The latest addition to the Nicholson bookshelf, Norman Nicholson’s Nature by Ian Brodie, is "a methodical and highly knowledgeable exploration of all the important aspects of nature which engrossed Nicholson throughout his writing life". Click HERE for a full review by Antoinette Fawcett.

posted 7/5/16

Writing workshop with Kathleen Jones

pic courtesy of kathleenjones.co.uk

Bookings are being taken now for a life-writing workshop with the author Kathleen Jones at Kendal library on Saturday May 14th, 10am to 1pm. The workshop, organised by the Norman Nicholson Society in collaboration with the library, is inspired by Nicholson's writings and will explore the connections between our Selves and our Environment.

posted 22/4/16

AGM held in Millom

​The Society's AGM took place at Millom Network Centre on Saturday and was followed by a talk by Dr David Cooper on New Contexts for Nicholson's Writing. There was also an exhibition to mark the Society's 10th anniversary. A full report can be found on our EVENTS page.

​On the occasion of the 10th anniversary we presented Dr David Cooper with an engraved crystal glass in appreciation of his work as our former chairman. We also have a memento for David's successor Dr Ian Davidson who was unable to attend the AGM.

​We made a presentation of a framed photo and message from the Society's president Lord Bragg, and an engraved slate plaque, to Dot Richardson who has decided to step down as treasurer.

​Peggy Troll has relinquished the role of membership secretary. We have made a similar presentation to Peggy in recognition of years of sterling work for the Society.

'Fire of the Lord' - signed copy

​We've been notified that a signed copy of Nicholson's first novel The Fire of the Lord is available to buy. The inscription reads: Rev. S. Taylor from Norman Nicholson Millom Cumberland Sept. '44

The book is in good condition, but lacks a dust jacket.Cost is £45, including postage. From NW Book Fairs. Contact jpsmithbooks@gmail.com

posted 16/3/16

Family links

​Can you help Richard Rees-Jones who has contacted us with this query:

In his book Greater Lakeland NN talks about his grandparents coming from Cartmel. I am researching my own family history which links with the Nicholsons at Collinfield, Cartmel Fell. I'd be interested to know if our two families are connected. Is there anyone in your group who could help me?

If you have any information please let us know via our Contact Form and we will forward it to Richard.

posted 9/3/16

New book

A new book about Nicholson has just been published. Norman Nicholson's Nature is writtenby conservation campaigner Ian Brodie, price £12.50.

Publishers Wildtrack say: This book looks afresh at Nicholson's writing and suggests that we need to regard him as a much greater committed nature writer than previously recognised. The book explores the writer's relationship between people, place, nature, industry and geology and concludes that in Nicholson's writings we can find the basis for a contemporary conservation ethic. Ian Brodie has spent a life in campaigning for access, landscape conservation and, more latterly, nature conservation. Before retirement he was on the staff of Friends of the Lake District and lectured on Lancaster University's Lake District Studies Course. He was formerly a member of the Lake District National Park Authority. His recent publications include, Thirlmere and the Birth of the Landscape Conservation Movement and Why National Parks?

The book is available from the publishers here. It's also available in bookshops in Cumbria. We've spotted it in the Tourist Information Offcie in Broughton and we'll add any other stockists if anyone can notify us via our Contact Form

posted 7/3/16

Nicholson on Radio 4

​Nicholson's poem Beck was featured in BBC Radio 4's Poetry Please on Sunday February 7th at 4.30pm and repeated on Saturday 13th at 11.30pm. The programme is also available on the BBC i-player for 30 days.

This comes from a request by NN Society members Brian Whalley and Kathleen Morris.

posted 6/2/16, updated 13/2/16

Norman Nicholson: beyond Lakeland

photo: JOHN TROLL

​Dr. Antoinette Fawcett, Joint Secretary of the Norman Nicholson Society, has secured a three month Visiting Research Fellowship at the John Rylands Research Institute, University of Manchester, which houses the university's Special Collections. They include the Norman Nicholson Archive and the Norman Nicholson Book Collection, as well as many other literary papers relevant to Nicholson Studies. Antoinette's research project is entitled "NORMAN NICHOLSON – BEYOND LAKELAND: An examination of archival and bibliographical evidence for the translation and reception of Norman Nicholson’s work in non-Anglophone cultures".

She will examine evidence relating to the translation, publication and performance of Nicholson's work in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Italy, and Russia, among other places, with the aim of demonstrating that Nicholson's work in several genres had an impact beyond the Anglophone world.

Arts Council England has designated the Rylands collections, kept in the wonderful neo-Gothic John Rylands Library, as being of outstanding national and international importance. If anyone has information about the reception of Nicholson's work in other countries, please do get in touch with Antoinette via this website - our Contact form is HERE.

​posted 7/1/16

​'Shepherd's Carol' inspires our Christmas tree

​The Norman Nicholson Society has again decorated a tree for the annual Christmas Tree festival in St George's Church, Millom. The festival is open for viewing from Friday 11th December until Sunday 3rd January 2016.

The theme for the festival this year is 'Christmas Story' and the Society has chosen 'Shepherd's Carol' as the poem to provide the inspiration for decorating their tree. Peggy Troll, Dot Richardson and Sue Dawson have developed a rustic, rural theme for the decorations this year as it was felt that this was the best way to interpret the content of the poem appropriately. Most of the decorations are made from twine, card and twigs.

The three 'practical farmers from back of the dale' can be seenpointing the way to the 'the latest arrival newly born' from the drystone wall at the base of the Nicholson Society's tree. The sheep that are left at the 'bottom of dyke' are Herdwicks, of course!The pub the shepherds head for is based on the Woolpack Inn at Eskdale and there are even some Cumberland sheep counting on labels to continue with the shepherd's theme.

Refreshments are available daily in the church and there are around 40 decorated trees to enjoy during a visit!

posted December 2015

​Melvyn on Youtube

photo: BBC

​The BBC TV documentary 'From Wigton to Westminster' which featured the life and career of the Society's president Melvyn Bragg is now available to watch on Youtube. Here's the link. It was first broadcast in July.

posted 23/11/15

Charlie Lambert on BBC Radio Cumbria

​Our new chair Charlie Lambert was interviewed on BBC Radio Cumbria on Friday November 20th. Asking the questions was presenter Gordon Swindlehurst, a self-confessed Nicholson enthusiast. The chat aired during Gordon's lunchtime show. You can hear the interview on our Soundcloud HERE.

posted 20/11/15

​The Society's new chair

photo: DOROTHY LAMBERT

​Former BBC broadcaster Charlie Lambert has been elected chair of the Norman Nicholson Society. He takes over from Broughton Mills resident Dr Ian Davidson. Charlie has been a member of the Society since it was formed in 2006. He was the producer of a documentary about Nicholson aired on BBC Radio Cumbria last year.

​He said: “Norman Nicholson was an outstanding poet who had the ability to touch the heart and the conscience. His view of the world – whether the world on his doorstep in Millom or the wider universe – was original, perceptive, humorous and heartfelt. Yet he never received due credit from the metropolitan so-called elite. I feel extremely honoured to have become chair of the Society and I will do all I can to promote the works of Nicholson and to further the aims of the Society. I would also like to pay tribute to Ian Davidson for his excellent work on behalf of the Society; we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”Charlie was born in Windermere and gained a degree in English from Bristol University. He spent 20 years on the staff of the BBC, becoming sports correspondent for the TV programme Northwest Tonight as well as broadcasting regularly on Radio 4 and Radio 5. He is currently senior lecturer in broadcast journalism at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. He lives in Liverpool.

posted 10/11/15

​Top photos and poems

The Western Lake District website ran a photography and poetry competitions to celebrate Norman Nicholson's centenary. View the winning entries here

posted 19/5/15

It's mending worse...

We were pleased to see that Hilary Mantel selected Nicholson's poem 'Old Man at a Cricket Match' for a Remembrance Weekend feature in Saturday's Guardian. Find it HERE. ​posted 9/11/15

Millom Writers Group

​The Millom Writers group, run by NN Society member Ron Creer, has just had its third collection of work published. It is being launched at Millom Network Centre on November 6th at 2pm. All Society members are welcome to go along. ​posted 25/10/15

Glamming it up in Manchester!

Antoinette Fawcett, secretary of the Norman Nicholson Society, will speak about Nicholson at a meeting of GLAM - Group for Literary Archives and Manuscripts - at the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester, on Thursday October 1st. Fran Baker, custodian of the Nicholson archive held at the Library, will also speak.

​posted 28/9/15

Nicholson WILL rock Coventry

​The fund-raising scheme launched to help organise a second performance of Seven Rocks, composed by Harry Whalley for Norman Nicholson’s centenary last year, has hit the target!

Members of the NN Society were among those who backed the campaign which targeted £380 and currently exceeds £420. It means Seven Rocks will be performed by the outstanding Gildas Quartet, as planned, at the INTIME symposium at the University of Coventry on Saturday October 24th.

Harry says that the surplus funds will go towards financing a new composition based on a Nicholson poem.

posted 25/9/15

​Please help this musical interpretation of Nicholson's work

A funding campaign has been launched to enable a second performance of Harry Whalley’s composition Seven Rocks, composed for Norman Nicholson’s centenary last year.

Harry, who teaches at Edinburgh University, has been accepted for the annual INTIME Symposium at Coventry University, on October 24th 2015, to give both a presentation and a performance of the Seven Rocks suite, which received its premiere performance at St. George’s Church, Millom last May, with support from the Britten-Pears Foundation.

It was always the intention to aim for further performances of the work, and this conference represents a marvellous opportunity to give the composition a further hearing to a new and influential audience. However, not only are there conference fees to pay, the performers of the composition, three members of the well-regarded young Gildas Quartet, also need to be paid for their work. They have agreed to perform the piece at the Symposium for a reduced fee, but there is still a lot of money to find in a short time to make this happen.

Harry has written about the piece as follows: ​

This piece is in seven movements, for strings and spoken voice inspired by Norman Nicholson's poems of the same name - excerpts of which punctuate the composition.

The compositional form of the music also represents the processes that each rock undertook in its formation, for example extreme pressure or slow layerings. This is moulded by a more abstract appreciation of the landscape or rock. Slate, for example, is formed of large, fairly featureless slabs with very sharp edges, so this is reflected in the musical texture too. The human voice is an important part of the composition, with selected quotations from each poem in the sequence preceding its associated movement.

Harry needs to raise about £450 to cover the cost of the trio. To that end he has started a ‘Kickstarter’ campaign to raise the necessary money. Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative projects. It works like this:

- You then read about the project and choose a level of pledge you are happy with (currently: £5.00 or more; £12.00 or more; £45 or more; or £400 or more). Each of these levels of pledge carries a ‘reward’ (including a signed copy of the score);

- Follow the web page instructions as to what to do next.

Harry has stressed that if the campaign raises more money than his target, the surplus will be used to help fund a new Nicholson composition (perhaps a song). Click here to go to the site.

posted 19/9/15

Nicholson features in travel guide

​Pleased to see that a new book The Dymond Guide to the Lake District and Cumbria by Christian Dymond references Norman Nicholson and his contribution to literature and to the town of Millom. The book is a travel guide, updating many of the locations visited by Nicholson himself when compiling Greater Lakeland published in 1969 at a price of 42 shillings.

posted 5/8/15

​Norman Nicholson - a Literary Life

​Norman Nicholson - a Literary Life by David Boyd, a long-standing member of the Norman Nicholson Society, has just been published by Seascale Press Ltd. It's available by post or as a Kindle download. Full details and order form HERE. As a taster of David's writing, here's a link to an article he wrote for the New York online literary review nycBigCityLit.com. Congratulations to David on completing this highly-anticipated work and good luck with the all-important sales!

posted 26/7/15

Off to study Nicholson in India

​The Society has been contacted by an editor from Macmillan Publishing (India) who wants to use the Norman Nicholson poem Off To Outer Space in the Morning in texts for schools in India. We're delighted to hear of this interest in Nicholson's work and hope that Macmillan are successful in obtaining the necessary copyright clearance in order to go ahead.

posted 10/7/15

Nicholson and Geology

​There's a fascinating and informative article about Nicholson's use of geology in his writing on the website of The Geological Society, written by NN Society member Brian Whalley. Brian includes this quote from Nicholson: "In no other part of England has the life and character of a district and its people been so controlled by the nature of the rock and by the forces which acted upon it."

The article mentions Millom Rock Park which is just outside the town and well worth a visit if you're interested in the geological make-up of the area.

posted 10/6/15

​The Pot Geranium still resonates

Hello everyone at the Norman Nicholson Society!

I am reading​ and enjoying ‘Selected Poems’ by Norman Nicholson. I remember ‘The Pot Geranium’ from reading it at school. It resonated with me as I was often ill as a child and had to spend a lot of my time at home. It still does, as I now have M.E. and other disabilities.

By the way, there are a number of words in the poems that I didn’t know. I have had to look up nearly 30 of them in the dictionary. Some of them turned out to be dialect. A few were not even in the dictionary at all, specifically:VoesStockyardLileBrunting

Perhaps you can enlighten me?

Also by the way, I am a writer myself. I once self-published a book of poetry: ‘Bush Into Bear’.

Regards,

Jimmy Driver

Our thanks to Jimmy for getting in touch via the Contact page.

posted 2/6/15

​Flower Festival

The Society is contributing to the Flower Festival, to be held at St George's Church, Millom, this bank holiday weekend (May 22-25). INSPIRE is the festival's theme, described as a 'celebration of the Spirit in flowers, music and worship.'Our committee members Peggy Troll, Dot Richardson and Sue Dawson have created a floral display based on a passage from 'Provincial Pleasures' p 91: 'The sun wanders about the church as if it belonged there. As, indeed it does, for the building is a product of the sun, being made of the red desert sandstone which lies beside the slate all along the Cumberland coast'. View a slideshow of our display: ​

Peggy will read the poem 'Weeds' at the Phoenix Singers service - a fitting reminder of Nicholson's individual outlook on what most of us take for granted.

posted 19/5/15, updated 22/5/15

​Conference at Brathay Hall

​Alan Beattie, member of the Society committee, is to contribute to a conference on 'leadership, sustainability and wellbeing' on July 16-18at Brathay Hall, Ambleside, organised by IFLAS (Institute for Leadership and Sustainability). Click here for details.

posted 2/5/15

Percy Kelly exhibition in Barrow

An exhibition: The Letters of Percy Kelly to Norman Nicholson and Joan David, is currently on display at the Cumbria Archives and Local Studies Centre, 140 Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 1XW. The exhibition, which has already been on display at Carlisle and Whitehaven, will be there until the end of May, which as usual is Local History Month. It tells the story of Kelly’s life in relation to the letters he wrote to Norman Nicholson and to Joan David, a scientist and art-lover. He sent many beautifully-illustrated letters (and envelopes) to them both, which were deposited with Cumbria Archives by Joan David’s relatives after her death. More about Percy Kelly HERE.

posted 18/3/15

Percy Kelly letters

The Norman Nicholson archive at the John Rylands Library in Manchester has received a fascinating collection of illustrated letters sent by the Cumbrian artist Percy Kelly to Norman Nicholson. Kelly (1918-1993) drew inspiration from the same Cumbrian landscape as Nicholson. His correspondence to Norman was accompanied by delightful illustrations, often on the envelopes that contained the letters. Find out more about them on the John Rylands Special Collections blog HERE.

posted 24/2/15

Carlisle service

Our thanks to the Carlisle Cathedral authorities for giving permission for a service to mark the close of the Centenary Year on Saturday, and to Canon Warden Jan Kearton for officiating. A report has been posted on the Events page.

posted 13/1/15

'If you'd been there you'd have had to sing'

The Society's contribution to the annual Christmas Tree Festival in Millom has been unveiled. The theme for the display is 'Lighting the Way' so the poem The Wise Men's Carol was selected as being the most appropriate. The Society's exhibit was created by Peggy Troll, Dot Richardson and Sue Dawson. They worked on the image of the 'carnival sky' mentioned in the poem and the tree is topped by a star which is streaming with ribbons in rainbow colours. The quotation 'If you'd been there you'd have had to sing' is linked to the decorations shaped like brass instruments on the tree, and they are also tied with brightly-coloured ribbons.

posted 4/12/14

The two births of Norman Nicholson

Dr Martyn Halsall, one of the speakers at our Autumn event in Millom, has generously given permission for the publication on this website of the paper that he delivered that day. Norman Nicholson's Wars - the Theology of Place in his Poetry can be located by hovering your mouse over 'Home' in Contents strip at the top of this page or by cicking HERE.

posted 16/11/14

AGM will be April 25th, 1pm

The Norman Nicholson Society AGM will take place on April 25th 2015 at the Millom Network Centre from 1pm to 4pm, with arrival and registration from 12.30 pm. Refreshments will be served in the break between the AGM itself and this year's talk which will be on Northern Aspects of Nicholson's Language and will be given by myself. I will be focusing on some of the ongoing research I have been doing for the Word of the Month column on our website.

There will be elections to the committee this year, and we are looking for a Publicity Officer to work in conjunction with our Media Officer (Charlie Lambert), with specific responsibility for contacting our local press about our events and other activities. We are also hoping to find someone who would like to act as our Youth Representative, since we are introducing a new youth category of membership at a greatly reduced rate. If there is anyone willing to put themselves forward for either of these roles, please do let us know via the Contact Form; or let us know if there is someone you think might be interested in this.

Please also let us know if you or anyone else may be interested in standing for any of the other positions on the committee, either as a named officer, or as a general committee member.

If members have any further suggested items for the Agenda, please let us know about them as soon as possible.

SUBSCRIPTIONSSubscriptions for this year will soon be due. In accordance with the vote made at last year's AGM we will be raising the subscriptions this year as follows:

Single Membership: £12.00Dual Membership (two people at one address): £18.00Youth Membership: £6.00 (with Comet sent by e-mail rather than in hard copy)

This is the first time that we have raised the cost of membership, and it has been felt necessary to do this to take into account increasing postal costs, and the costs of printing Comet. As Comet has grown in size to reflect the broadening interests and expertise of Society members, so its printing costs have also increased. I hope, however, that you will feel that it is a real benefit of being an NN Society member, and that its range and influence are growing.

Membership fees can be sent directly to our Membership Secretary Peggy Troll, 18, Lowther Road, MILLOM, Cumbria LA18 4LN. Please use the Contact Form, in case of any queries.

EVENTSFinally, if anyone is interested in organising events or reading groups in other parts of the country, please do also let us know. You don't have to be a committee member to be involved with the Society in this way.

David Boyd to speak at the Woolpack

David Boyd, author and critic and member of the Norman Nicholson Society, will speak at the Woolpack Book Festival in Eskdale on Friday March 6th, 5pm-7pm. David will discuss Norman Nicholson and his connections to the Western Lakes, specifically the venue for the event, the Woolpack Inn. Historical documents and papers will be on view and there'll also be discussions on the Woolpack Inn and previous landlords.

posted 28/2/15

Ravenglass in print

John Gilder, one of the Society's newest members, is the author of two books about Ravenglass - Ravenglass Picture Portrait of a Village (1990) and Fractured Hearts: Ravenglass - A Lake District Village in poems and pictures (2010). John, a familiar voice on BBC Radio Manchester, comes from Oldham. He has been reading Norman Nicholson for the past decade and is inspired by his works - "particularly Provincial Pleasures which is so easy to read whilst engrossing myself in his descriptions of things like the shore at 'Odborough' and the marshes and such like." John is currently working on another book, Northwestwords.

posted 8/2/15

Mary Burkett OBE

The Society is sad to learn of the death on Tuesday of Mary Burkett OBE. Mary was a staunch supporter of the Society and hosted a memorable event in celebration of Nicholson's centenary at her home Isel Hall on July 5th. Mary will be remembered for her devotion to the arts in Cumbria, espcially for her role as director of Abbot Hall in Kendal, where her portrait by Carel Victor Morlais Weight is on display. She was the author of the book I Was Only a Maid (Skiddaw Press 1998) which told the story of the remarkable life of a former parlourmaid at Isel Hall, May Moore. The Society sends our condolences to Mary's family and friends.

posted 13/11/14

'No-one can understand the real Lakeland until he has absorbed these poems...'

A visit to the exhibition It's All About the Landscape currently on display at Coniston Institute yielded among other delights a stack of back issues of the then pocket-sized magazine Cumbria and this item from the (unbylined) Notebook column in the November 1966 edition:

The exhibition at Coniston Institute, Yewdale Road, LA21 8DL runs until December 1st 2014 and is open every day 10am-5pm except Monday. It is organised by Grizedale Arts, the Benevolent Order of New Mechanics and the Useful Arts Association.

posted 2/11/14

Nicholson book collection

We are delighted to announce that a complete list of books owned by Norman Nicholson at the time of his death, now kept at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, is now available to view on this website. The catalogue can be found HERE. Our thanks to Julie Ramwell, Special Collections Librarian at the Library, for making the information available to us.

posted 30/10/14

2014 Monday October 20th Not by the Dark, but by Dazzle

The poet Grevel Lindop presented 'Not by the Dark, but by Dazzle': A Norman Nicholson Centenary Lecture at theRoyal Asiatic Society in London. As one attendee observed: 'Grevel's lectures are beautifully composed and delivered, and full of interest; he is an excellent speaker. Many of us who heard him in London will be reading much more of Nicholson as a result.'

Audio archive launched

Neil Curry took many Nicholson enthusiasts by surprise with his controversial views expressed in Radio Cumbria's documentary in August. Now the whole unedited interview with Neil is available on the NN Society's new Soundcloud, an audio archive which also contains complete unedited interviews with other contributors to the radio documentary, all experts on Nicholson's work: Alan Beattie, David Boyd, Melvyn Bragg, Antoinette Fawcett and Mary Robinson. Click HERE to find it.

posted 4/10/14

The thudding of my own blood

If you visit the doctor this winter you might be able to catch up on the poetry of Norman Nicholson while you're waiting. The charity Poems in the Waiting Room is to include NN's poem Nobbut God among the selection they distribute to GP surgeries. As reported in the latest edition of Comet, the charity produces collections of poetry on cards for patients to read when they visit the surgery. The inclusion of the Nicholson poem follows intervention by NN's friend and literary executor Irvine Hunt. It's a free scheme so why not encourage your local practice to sign up? More information from the charity's website www.poemsinthewaitingroom.org. Among the medics finding room for stanzas among the stethoscopes are some in Germany, Romania and Sweden.

posted 22/9/14

U3A visit

Our committee members Peggy Troll, Dot Richardson and Sue Dawson hosted a very successful U3A group visit from Lancaster. The response from the group was excellent, saying the visit had far exceeded their expectations. The schedule included visits to the Discovery Centre and Millom Library.

posted July 23rd 2014

Lord Bragg contributes to Radio Cumbria's 'Nicholson' programme

Our President, Melvyn Bragg, has been discussing Norman Nicholson's poetry with our media editor Charlie Lambert who is producing a documentary about Nicholson for BBC Radio Cumbria. The interview was recorded at the National Theatre yesterday. The documentary is due to be broadcast in August. We'll post full details here nearer the time.

posted 9/5/14

Pay tribute to Nicholson’s geniality and genius

Nicholson may not have used the word ‘gala’ in his Collected Poems but he certainly knew how to celebrate with musical gusto and energetic delight, jubilating in the ordinary and extraordinary alike, touching the words of his poems with a zest for life, even when contemplating death, destruction or decay. You get the sensation when reading the poems – or listening to rare recordings of Nicholson’s voice – that he enjoyed the feel of words in the mouth, and the touch of voice in the air. ‘Gala’ would undoubtedly take its place in Nicholson’s vocabulary, along with ‘galleys’ and ‘gales’ and ‘galleons’, ‘nightingales’ and ‘sweetgales’, ‘galaxies’ and ‘Galloway’, ‘gallons’ and ‘gall’, all words which pricked his imagination and made his poetry dance.

‘Gala’, the Oxford English Dictionary tells me, is of Italian and French origin and is perhaps derived from words for merriment and/or for finery. Let us ‘gallivant’ together then and pay tribute to Nicholson’s geniality and genius at our Gala Lunch at the Lighthouse Centre in Haverigg, Millom LA18 4HA on Saturday April 26th 2014.

Members will soon receive a letter and booking form with full details of the event and are urged to book swiftly, as only 80 tickets will be sold. Tickets will be made available to non-members after our booking deadline of the 31st March.

We won’t promise you the sensual luxuries imagined by Nicholson in his poem ‘Belshazzar’, but we will celebrate in style and with poetic passion. Oh, and there will be a Brass Band!

That day in the city there were banners slung Across the streets, from balconies and chimneys, Swinging in the wind like smoke, and telegraph poles Were hung with geraniums; military bands Marched down the thoroughfares and bugles rang Against the plate-glass frontages. […]

They poured the yellow wine in the grey silver, The red in the yellow gold, and plates were piled With quails and nightingales and passion fruit, And the air was a fume of music.

From ‘Belshazzar’ by Norman Nicholson

Do join us!

Antoinette Fawcettposted February 10th 2014

"If I lived here for 500 years I would still have things to write about"

Dr Malcolm Morrison writes via the website contact form:

Elsewhere on the website, Michael Mitchell compares Norman Nicholson with another wonderful poet, George Mackay Brown; both were criticised for being "provincial" and therefore overlooked by many.

George rarely left Orkney - once he went to Oxford, but otherwise never travelled further south than Edinburgh. In 1994 he was shortlisted for the Booker Prize with his novel "Beside The Ocean of Time" - he refused to travel to London for the award ceremony.

He was criticised that he never left Orkney to join the "rough and tumble of the world", but replied "If I lived here for 500 years I would still have things to write about". Seamus Heaney said of his poetry: "he transforms everything by passing it through the eye of the needle of Orkney".

He stayed in Stromness for all but six years of his life - if he required a change of scene, he went off to stay at a farmhouse a couple of miles down the road. He seemed to need the familiar landscape of his native Orkney to ground and fire his creativity. The Orkney writer, Eric Linklater said "GMB is a good poet, a true poet, and essentially a poet of Orkney - it is his persistent theme and constant inspiration.

Posted January 26th 2014

Mary Robinson asks: is this the right time for a reassessment?

MARY ROBINSON photo: Charlie Lambert

"Wait! Come closer. I've something to tell".

Hearing a recording of Norman Nicholson reading those words from "The Whisperer" was spine-tingling. It was one of the highlights of the centenary celebrations at the Wordsworth Bookshop in Penrith.

There is an upsurge of writing about the environment at the moment. The time is ripe for a re-assessment of Norman Nicholson's work. Let's ditch the "provincialism" debate and look at his writing in the context of ecology, edgelands and sustainability.

Driving to Penrith I heard the musician Joshua Rifkin being interviewed on the radio. Years ago he championed the (now very popular) ragtime music of Scott Joplin. "Why did you do it? he was asked. "Because his work deserves to be heard". Why are we celebrating Norman Nicholson's centenary? Because his work deserves to be heard.

"Wait! Wait!Come closer;I've something to tell."

Mary Robinson

posted January 10th 2014

Birthday blessing

The Society organised the first celebration of Centenary Year at St George's Church, Millom, today. Sue Dawson led a walk to significant local landmarks explaining links to Norman Nicholson. Lunch (including very popular hot soup) was provided by members of St George's Church. Antoinette Fawcett led a discussion of Norman's poetry with the appropriate backdrop of the Nicholson Memorial Window. A service of thanksgiving for Norman's life and work was conducted by Rev Malcolm Cowan and included readings of Nicholson poems by Society members Neil Curry, Glenn Lang, Dot Richardson, Antoinette Fawett, John Troll and Peggy Troll.Photographers from the NW Mail and Whitehaven News also attended. posted 5/1/14

A Turn For The Better

The Society's exhibit at the annual Christmas Tree Festival at St George's Church, Millom, takes as its theme the poem A Turn For The Better, published in The Pot Geranium collection in 1954. It's based on a story which comes from a gospel of James not included in the New Testament. The story, told by Joseph, Jesus' father, describes how, at the moment of Jesus' birth, everything in creation stood still - 'Now I Joseph was walking and I walked not'. Norman pictures Joseph walking between the allotments in Millom and the moment when everything stopped.

Society members Peggy Troll, Dot Richardson and Sue Dawson created the display.Their aim was to express the poem in paper - cut snowflakes, silver, gold and white figures of the people and animals, and the significant quotations on ribbons. The tree stands in a miniature allotment. "We hope we have conveyed something of the poet's intention and his fresh view of the Christian story," said Peggy.

The Festival is open for viewing on designated days from November 30th to December 22nd.

Posted 29/11/13

Norman Nicholson Day 2013

'Poet's Body: Health, Creativity and Connectedness' was the theme of our annual Norman Nicholson Day, held at Millom Network Centre on Saturday October 19th. Dr Duncan Darbishire (above, right), a poet and photographer as well as a retired GP, described the impact of TB, the disease which had such an influence on Norman's life. Alan Beattie (above, far left), who has worked in both public health and the performing arts, analysed the influence of Norman's illness on his writing. And Dr Chris Donaldson (pictured with Alan) presented an illuminating study of Nicholson's global network by using online tools to chart his connections worldwide. The talks were followed by study groups which discussed poetry and prose in which Nicholson made reference to his illness. The day also featured screenings of two BBCTV productions from the 1970s - 'The Whispering Poet' (1973), and a shorter feature from 'Look North' (1975). Our thanks to our three speakers and to everyone who attended and all who helped with the organisation and catering.pictures by John Trollposted 21/10/13

Meet Frances Baker

Fran Baker is the archivist in charge of the Norman Nicholson collection at the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The archive contains documents, letters, photographs, drawings, and original handwritten drafts of poems. It is also the home of some 700 books from Norman's own collection. More information about the archive can be found by clicking here.

posted 1/10/13

Visit to Rylands Library

Members of the Society enjoyed an illuminating visit to the Norman Nicholson Archive at the John Rylands Library in Manchester. Among the documents displayed by librarian Fran Baker were Norman's birth certificate, correspondence between Norman and T S Eliot and Philip Larkin, and not least a photograph of Norman at the British Gas showroom in Millom which also depicted Dot Richardson, who was among the group visiting the archive today.

posted 21/9/13

Comet come

The summer edition of Comet, the Society's newsletter, is now published. This edition reports on plans for the centenary next year and has news of two upcoming biographies of Norman Nicholson. Other articles include Norman Nicholson and the Vernacular by Ian Davidson, Three Botanical Poems by Alan Beattie, Keith Walmsley, Richard Mansfield, Brian Whalley and Antoinette Fawcett, and The Bloody Cranesbill by Mary Robinson whose own work The Art of Gardening (pub Flambard Press Poetry) is reviewed by Antoinette Fawcett.

Comet is only available to members of the Society. To join, please click on 'Contact' above.

posted 4/8/13

Exhibition in Kendal

Cumbrian artist Rebecca Payn is an admirer of Norman Nicholson’s work. Her prints were featured, along with the work of several other artists, in ‘Outside the Glass: Perspectives on Norman Nicholson’, an exhibition organised by the University of Cumbria in 2008 and curated by Charles Mitchell.

People now have the chance to re-visit Rebecca’s Nicholson-inspired work in an exhibition at the Coffee House, Abbot Hall, Kendalon display from 15th July to the 13th October 2013. ‘Under the Scree’ is a series of prints inspired particularly by poems from Nicholson’s 1972 collection A Local Habitation and is a response to poems such as ‘The Elm Decline’, ‘Scree’ and ‘Hodbarrow Flooded’. Rebecca says, ‘His poems have such warmth and richness of imagery, and it was a real pleasure using them as a source of inspiration for my print series’.

There was a good preview review of these prints in the North-West Evening Mail of July 11, 2013, which described the prints as ‘brooding’ and ‘smoky’. You can get your own preview of her work by looking at her website which features some of these prints: _http://www.rebeccapayn.co.uk.

Other works by Rebecca, and by the artist Alan Stones, will be on show at the Castlegate House Gallery, Cockermouth from the 5th to the 27th July 2013.

To know that his poems are still inspiring creative responses of many kinds would surely have gladdened Norman’s heart, and it is especially good to see how his work resonates with visual artists. As Charles Mitchell, at that time the University of Cumbria’s Dean of the Faculty of Arts, said in an interview with the Cumberland News and Star (6 March 2008): ‘Nicholson is a poet who is great for artists to work to. In many ways his poems are abstract pieces. The language flows and it is almost musical… there’s an overwhelming sense of something deeply rooted in the landscape that borders on the spiritual’.

If you are in Kendal this summer, do support Rebecca’s exhibition. You can contemplate her prints whilst sipping one of the Coffee House’s aromatic brews or refreshing juices. Click here for more details. And here for directions to Abbot Hall.

Antoinette Fawcett

posted 12/7/13

Nicholson poems studied at reading group

Norman Nicholson's poems have recently been discussed at a reading group in London, as well as evoking distant memories. Eileen Webb has been in touch to tell us about her links with Cumbria and her interest in Nicholson: In 1944 my family was bombed out in London and a relative of a distant relative found us a cottage in Haverigg as a haven from the blitz. After London we thought the war had stopped altogether. When my father returned from service with the 8th Army in Italy we returned to London. I am now in my eighties and attend various classes run by the U3A and one of them is a poetry group. At each meeting we discuss the poems of a poet chosen by a member and I wanted to talk about a poet who was closely attached to his own environment so I chose Nicholson and Charles Causley. I think Nicholson is even more local than Causley and I have been reading up on him. It is nice to be able to identify some of the places he writes about.

Eileen decided on The Whisperer as the poem she would select for study by the Group.

A few days later we heard separately from Eileen's husband Laurence who emailed: My wife, Eileen, introduced me to Norman Nicholson. During the war she was evacuated to Millom, and has many stories about her wartime life with her mother and sisters there, while her father, Bill Murphy, was away at war.Last year she took me to see her childhood home in Millom, and showed me the sites (sights!) and there we discovered together Norman Nicholson, and I fell in love with him straightaway.Eileen has a copy of his Selected Poems, 1940-1982, and now I would like to obtain as many of his publications as I can, and hope to participate in your activities sometime in the future, although I am 86 and she coming up to 83.

We're delighted that Eileen and Laurence have discovered a passion for Nicholson and hope to see them at one of our events.

posted 7/7/13

Summer Event 2013, Hodbarrow

There were high hopes for a wonderful day as we assembled at Haverigg Primary School. The weather was glorious if a little breezy - ideal for exploring Hodbarrow, the old iron ore mining site, in search of the rare bee orchid. After a cheering cup of tea, we formed a 'car convoy' and made our way along the bumpy pot-holed road to our first stop at the old lighthouse.

Hodbarrow is a RSPB Reserve. Chris Powell, our leader, whose knowledge of the site and its history is well known, took us to a rough, grassy area surrounding a particular nesting site. Excitement was intense as almost everywhere we walked were bee orchids, almost but not quite on the point of flowering. We tiptoed around them carefully, wondering at their choice of this seemingly inhospitable terrain

'To breed, to seed, To colonise the new-found, New-sunk island...Before the seaPours in againIn three or fourHundred years' time'.

Listening as Chris read the poem 'Bee Orchid at Hodbarrow' at the actual location of these modest little flowers was a moving experience.

Our next stop was the area described by Nicholson in 'The Bloody Cranesbill' which he calls 'Sunday's flower', reflecting on the times in his childhood when he walked there on Sunday mornings with his father and uncle Jack. We marvelled at the detail of the flower

...red as the oreIt grew from, fragile as Venetian glass, pencilled with metal-threadHaematite-purple veins. The frail cups lay so gentlyOn their small glazed saucer-bracts that a whisper would have tipped them overLike emptying tea leaves out.

We trod the old grassy footpaths, stood inside an ancient windmill and down on the shore ventured into a still accessible adit driven into the limestone rock when the miners were first exploring the area. And we felt that nostalgic regret of 'a town's purpose subsiding with the mine', but also the hope embodied in Nicholson's words:

In a lagoon of despoliation, that same flower Still grows today.

After lunch, during which we were able to appreciate the exciting children's work based on Nicholson poems, we continued to explore the links between Nicholson's writing and the local environment in two discussion groups led by Antoinette Fawcett and Ian Davidson. A member of one group wrote that he hoped what he had learned would be 'both a spur and a key to some ongoing learning and further appreciation' of Nicholson's work.

Our time together ended with tea, coffee, cake and chatter!

Many thanks are due to Sue Dawson who organised the event, Chris Powell who led the walk, Antoinette Fawcett and Ian Davidson who led the discussion groups and Mrs. Janice Brockbank, Head Teacher of Haverigg Primary School, for the use of the premises. PEGGY TROLL

posted 24/6/13

Sale of manuscripts

Bonhams have advised us that the Nicholson manuscripts which were offered for sale by auction on May 8th (details below) were not sold and the material has been returned to the vendor, the Roy Davids Collection.

posted 3/6/13

Sale of manuscripts

SALE OF MANUSCRIPTS: London auction house Bonhams is to include various Nicholson manuscripts in a sale of poetical manuscripts and portraits on May 8th 2013. The items are from the Roy Davids Collection and include the manuscript of one of Norman's most famous poems, Halley's Comet.

My father saw it back in 1910,The year King Edward died.Above dark telegraph poles, above the highSpiked steeple of the Liberal Club...

Roy has provided these details:AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT OF HIS POEM 'HALLEY'S COMET', signed ('Norman Nicholson'), 27 lines, together with a typescript of his poem 'Comet Come' with two autograph revisions (the latter published in Selected Poems 1940-1982), 4 pages folio in all [1982]£800-1,000Publication of 'Halley's Comet' has not been traced. Included are two letters by Nicholson, one to Alan Hancox sending the two poems having been asked to contribute to a tribute to Laurie Lee at the Cheltenham Literary Festival. Nicholson explains that he wrote the poem at the instigation of Radio Four's Kaleidoscope. The other letter, written in 1958, to Terence Tiller, is about performances of his verse-plays (6 pages, oblong octavo, pinned at head).The year after his final collection appeared, on 31 August 1982, Yvonne Nicholson died of cancer after a long illness. With the loss of his wife, Nicholson's life once again became more circumscribed, yet he continued to participate in the world of poetry, undertaking some readings, and even appearing on the South Bank Show in 1984. This programme (edited by fellow Cumbrian Melvyn Bragg) brought Nicholson's work to a much wider audience. Although Norman said he would never write again after Yvonne's death, he managed to produce at least two major poems: 'Epithalamium for a Niece' on the marriage of his sister-in-law's daughter; and 'Comet Come', written to mark the 1985/6 visit of Halley's Comet, which his father had seen in 1910 from Nicholson's own attic window in St George's Terrace. Nicholson remained at St George's Terrace until his death on 30 May 1987. No manuscripts by Nicholson have been sold at auction.APPARENTLY UNPUBLISHED.PROVENANCE: Alan Hancox, Cheltenham.

Bonham's advise that the catalogue is still being prepared but will be available on-line by the middle/end of February with the printed version available soon afterwards. Link to Bonham's website here

The poem Comet Come was included in Norman Nicholson: Collected Poems (1994) edited by Neil Curry, in which Neil credits original publication to The Listener 13 March 1986.

Posted 22/1/13

Visual Interpretation

Nicholson's poem In a Word has been interpreted in art, I.T, and photography by pupils of Haverigg Primary School. See their work on Our PagePosted 20/11/12

Christmas Tree Festival 2012

The Society is again taking part in the annual Christmas Tree Festival at St George's Church in Millom, starting today and continuing to Christmas. The theme this year is 'Christmas Carols' and our decoration is inspired by Norman Nicholson's poem Carol, from his 1944 collection Rock Face. The first verse is the main focus and is reproduced on our tree, together with a crib scene made by Peggy Troll using intricate paper sculptures in white which lend a purity and delicacy to the overall effect. The 'bracken fronds of night' lend a distinct Cumbrian flavour to the traditional Nativity and they are duly displayed here.The tree is positioned next to the Nicholson window in the church, linking the festive exhibit to the permanent memorial. Dot Richardson and Sue Dawson worked with Peggy to design and decorate our tree.The Christmas Tree Festival is open on Sat Dec 8 and Sun Dec 9, Sat Dec 15 and Sun Dec 16 and Sat Dec 23, from 1030am to 3pm each day. Posted 8/12/12

Norman Nicholson Day 2012

French student Aurelien Cavelier travelled from Paris specially to attend the event as part of his research for a Masters. He's pictured with NN Society committee member Stan Towndrow who gave Aurelien a whistle-stop tour of Millom.

The day began with a talk by Neil Curry exploring Nicholson's interest in the work of William Cowper and the way Cowper's focus on the local and the everyday influenced Norman's own poetry. We then split into two groups chaired by Stan Towndrow and Glenn Lang to discuss Nicholson's poems from his time with the Cockley Moor literary set in the early 1940s. After a break for lunch the event concluded with an imaginative presentation by Antoinette Fawcett entitled 'Norman Nicholson's Desert Island Discs,' featuring readings, photographs and music marking significant stages of Norman's life. A varied and thoroughly enjoyable day.Posted 13/10/12

One-day course

NN Society member Mary Robinson ran a one-day course 'A Local Habitation, an introduction to the poetry of Norman Nicholson' on September 14th at Rosley Village Hall near Wigton. Updated 16/9/12

Visit to Millom Ironworks

Members visited the site of the former Millom Ironworks as part of the Society's Summer Event. The day began with a talk by Sue Dawson covering the development of the ironworks, its impact on the town, and the shock of its abrupt closure in 1968. Groups led by Neil Curry and Antoinette Fawcett studied three of Nicholson's poems which make specific reference to the closure: On the Closing of Millon Ironworks, On the Dismantling of Millom Ironworks and Glen Orchy. We then drove to the site and were guided round and over the slagbank by Jack Park of the Friends of the Ironworks Nature Reserve. Jack pointed out key locations and identified buildings which survive. It was good to see various Nicholson quotations displayed on public information boards erected by the Friends. Our thanks to Jack and also to Janice Brockbank, Head Teacher of Haverigg Primary School, for the use of the school premises.Posted 15/7/12

AGM 2012

A well-attended AGM on Saturday March 17th re-elected the Society's committee en bloc and approved the accounts. There was a discussion about the way Comet is delivered with members being asked to indicate if they would prefer to receive Comet as a pdf attachment via email. Just under half the members present said they would. The committee will consider how to develop this. Our chair, Dr Ian Davidson, said that the literary activities of the Society would be among his priorities in the coming year. Glenn Lang reviewed our activities over the previous 12 months and Antoinette Fawcett updated members on Comet. The theme for the next edition will be Norman's Social Conscience. The formal business complete, Professor Alan Beattie gave a fascinating talk about two communities with whom Norman Nicholson had strong links - the literary set at Cockley Moor near Ullswater, where he met the poet Kathleen Raine with whom he may or may not have had a relationship, and the remarkable Workers Education Assoociation meetings at Maryport. Alan's wife Kay gave readings from poems inspired by these gatherings, including 'Cockley Moor, Dockray, Penrith,' and 'Above Ullswater.'posted 18/3/12

Creative Copeland

A display of photographs and other materials, originally created by Society members in 2006, formed part of the Creative Copeland exhibition at the Beacon in Whitehaven from January 14th to February 5th 2012.

Christmas Trees

December 2011: Sue Dawson, Dorothy Richardson and Peggy Troll decorated a Christmas tree for the Society as part of the Christmas Tree Festival in St. George's Church, Millom, organised by Felicity Wilson, of the Town Council, with the theme, 'A Light unto the World'. They printed 60 copies of NN's poem, 'Comprehending it Not' which people could take as a Christmas card from the Society (with permission from Irvine Hunt & David Higham Associates.) They printed quotes on' light' (from the Christmas poems) on white cards and ribbon, and made little silver lanterns to hang, with a silver and gold comet for the top. The Festival continues till Jan 6th.

NN Society's new chairman

Dr Ian Davidson has been elected chair of the NN Society. Ian is a local - his mother was born in Millom - and he has lived in Broughton Mills, off and on but mainly on, since 1938. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School and St Catherine's College, Oxford, where he read English. After a working life as an academic he has, in 'retirement', published three books, all inspired by his own experience of growing up and living in Broughton Mills: Dynamiting Niagara (2005), A Hatful of Crows (2007) and More Like London Every Day (2011). Ian succeeds Dr David Cooper.

TLS article

TLS Online has re-published a 1951 review by Nicholson of Jaquetta Hawkes' The Land http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and)_entertainment/the_tls/article7173236.ec

Archive addition

The John Rylands Library has acquired a new addition to its NN archive: 164 letters from Norman to Sylvia Lubelsky, a friend he met in the sanatorium. They date from 1932 to the 1980s. A full description of the Norman Nicholson Archive can be found online here.